What Is BLS OEWS Data? A Plain-English Guide

The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program is a joint federal-state survey conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). It's the most comprehensive source of occupational wage data in the United States — and the data behind every number on WageDepth.

How the Survey Works

The OEWS surveys approximately 1.2 million business establishments every year, asking them to report the number of employees and wages paid in each of hundreds of occupational categories defined by the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system. The survey is conducted in two panels per year and rolls across a 3-year cycle, with all data re-released together annually.

What "Median Wage" Means

The median wage is the wage at which half of workers in an occupation earn more and half earn less. It's more useful than the average (mean) for understanding typical pay because it's not distorted by extreme earners at the top of the distribution. BLS publishes both the mean and several percentile points (10th, 25th, 50th/median, 75th, 90th) for most occupations.

Limitations of OEWS Data

• Wages only, not total compensation — bonuses, equity, and benefits are excluded
• Top-code suppression — wages at or above $100/hr ($208,000/yr) are reported as "> $100/hr" to protect confidentiality
• Annual snapshot — updated once per year, typically published in late spring for the prior year
• Employed workers only — doesn't capture self-employed or gig workers in many categories

Using WageDepth

WageDepth makes OEWS data searchable and browsable — by occupation, by location, or by the intersection of both. Browse all occupations, explore all locations, or search for any job title or city.